Selection of texts is in accordance with the school’s mission statement: As a ministry of the diocese of Louisiana, Episcopal High School nurtures and develops the whole child – spiritually, intellectually, morally, physically and artistically – through challenging academic and co-curricular programs which prepare our graduates for college and for purposeful lives.

The goal of the literature instruction by the Episcopal English department is supported by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Standards for the English Language Arts, the first of which reads: Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.

Rationale:

Choice: Current research into literacy, including especially the work of Donalyn Miller, Penny Kittle, and Jim Burke, supports that students’ achievement increases with the ability to choose their own texts. From the NCTE’s “The Right to Read”: “The right to read, like all rights guaranteed or implied within our constitutional tradition, can be used wisely or foolishly. In many ways, education is an effort to improve the quality of choices open to all students. But to deny the freedom of choice in fear that it may be unwisely used is to destroy the freedom itself. For this reason, we respect the right of individuals to be selective in their own reading. But for the same reason, we oppose efforts of individuals or groups to limit the freedom of choice of others or to impose their own standards or tastes upon the community at large.”

Development: The NCTE also suggests that, “a wide variety of student interests and abilities necessitates a wide variety of readings in addition to thoughtfully selected common readings. In order to grow as readers, students must be provided with works that will engage them in their present stage of development and move them towards ever richer literary experiences. For many, the classics are the right choice early on. For many others, the doorway to deep literacy will be entered initially through good writings that are not in the classical canon. Research shows that students who read willingly and extensively not only gravitate toward but become capable of interpreting more complex texts over time.”

Challenge: Parents and students should be aware that the majority of the authors or texts studied in English courses are found on college preparatory reading lists. This literature requires considerable maturity on the part of the reader and is not necessarily chosen to please but to encourage thought in the reader. As with any work of art, literature is a form of communication from one mind to another, an expression of human diversity and difference of opinion. Literature demands that we cherish our right to be delighted, enriched, and strengthened, as well as our right to be challenged, offended, and even threatened. From this confrontation comes both struggle and growth. Literature as art is an end unto itself whereby appreciation, not approval, is the goal. It is our personal hope the students will come to appreciate the textual richness and depth of thought that this literature offers.

Empathy: Researchers David Comer Kidd and Emanuele Castano, at the New School for Social Research in New York have found that reading literary fiction “enhances the ability to detect and understand other people's emotions, a crucial skill in navigating complex social relationships” (Bury). We want students to engage compassionately and considerately with others and course content. The golden-rule and Episcopal’s own Honor Code all support these virtues. Compassion and consideration can even apply to literature and its characters, writers, and conflicts. This should happen even when characters create their own tragedies and conflicts through mistakes or flaws or evil actions. Literature that is controversial, challenging, and significant can often be testing the limits of our ability to show compassion and consideration for such people, or their ideas. This too, encourages empathy among readers. Such content has the capacity then to enhance the empathetic nature of Episcopal students. As a result, we sometimes discuss and explore ideas that are controversial to help fulfill our mission of preparing our students for “purposeful lives.”

Criteria:

Selection procedures for summer reading as well as classroom instruction are guided by the Episcopal High Mission, NCTE Standards, literature reviews, the expertise and research of the English department and Episcopal’s librarians, and the recommendations of students when appropriate. All texts selected for classroom instruction and summer reading have also met the criteria of the Episcopal Library Selection Policy, which follow:

literary quality

relevance to literary and cultural history

balance and variety in form, style and content

relevance to students’ interests and other readings

relevance to students’ roles in society and the workplace

level of age-appropriate complexity

representation of diverse points of view across gender, age, social class, religion and ethnicity

At least two Episcopal professionals will read each selection for summer reading: the English teacher for the grade level the book has been assigned and either another English teacher, the librarian, or another teacher in the same division.

Additionally, texts should meet the following guidelines:

Texts and accompanying learning resources and classroom instruction are consistent with the Episcopal High School Mission Statement and with Episcopal’s educational goals and objectives.

Texts are developmentally appropriate.

Texts are consistent with current research in literacy and curriculum development for the college preparatory environment.

Texts motivate students to examine and expand their responsibilities, rights, and privileges as participating citizens in society.

Contested Material Procedure:

In cases where a parent or other EHS community member finds a text selected for summer reading or classroom instruction to be unsuitable, the complainant may request reconsideration of that material by the department and administration through the following procedure:

Complainant must be a teacher, administrator, member of the staff, or parent of an Episcopal student in the class for which the text has been assigned.

Complainant completes the Request for Reconsideration online form, which will be automatically submitted to the head of the English department. Before filing the request, the complainant should read the challenged material in its entirety.

The Request for Reconsideration form will be shared with the appropriate division head within twenty-four hours of its receipt.

A committee consisting of at least three English teachers in that division, the English department head, the division librarian, and others as deemed appropriate will reconsider the challenged material.

The committee will discuss the challenged text in the context of the English curriculum, weigh its values and faults, and form opinions based on the material as a whole rather than passages taken out of context. Within two weeks of the Request for Reconsideration, they will prepare a written report for the Division Head outlining the committee’s recommendation for the use of the challenged text. In the meantime, an alternate selection will be offered to the student.

Based on the committee and Division Head's recommendation, the Head of School will make the final decision regarding the use of the challenged text. The appropriate division head will notify the complainant and the review committee of the decision within ten days of the committee’s recommendation.

Any text that has been considered by the committee and on which the Head of School has rendered a decision will not be reconsidered within three years.

Contact Us (regarding our selection policy or to initiate book reconsideration)